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The Omnivorous Mind

Recent studies highlight the importance of the food environments for children, even those less than one-year-old, in shaping dietary habits and health later in childhood. These studies point to early childhood as a critical period for the development of a "theory of food" that shapes how adults both eat and "think" the food they eat.

Food preparation, especially cooking, is a multi-step process involving multiple tools, materials, and senses. The evolution of a human way of food preparation may have been a critical factor in human cognitive evolution. Regularly participating in food preparation, along with maintaining an active intellectual and social life, may help preserve brain health in aging.

The human mind makes sense of the world in part by classifying its contents, and food is one of the most important things people classify. Although some people might be reluctant to eat it, haggis is a food.